 |
Limited Time Offer
SIGN
UP NOW and get $20.00 free credit , risk-free! |
| Recent
Articles |
Google Offends Artist's Family
These days Google offers up a customized logo for just about any event, so it's no longer news.
WebmasterWorld Boston 2006 Pubcon Wrapup
This year's Pubcon in Boston was held at the Elephant in the Castle, a good sized Boston bar/pub.
Google Mexico Blog
Zorgloob writes that Google has launched an official Mexican company blog.
No Goodmail For Gmail
Leaving AOL further out on a limb holding its Goodmail playbook, Google said it will not be instituting a payment system to ensure email delivery to Gmail users. The power of email filtering, said the company, should rest in the hands of its users.
Facebook Gets $25MM In Funding
The hits just keep on coming. Facebook has landed an additional $25MM in funding, and Bambi Francisco is reporting that the pre-money valuation of Facebook was $525MM.
Agony Of The Blog Stars
When one is a high-profile blogger, and an employee of a prominent Internet presence, sometimes the prospect of posting an entry can cause some personal misgivings.
Malcolm Gladwell at Pubcon
Lee Odden does a fine job keeping up with the wisdom offered forth by Malcolm Gladwell at the Boston Webmasterworld Pubcon.
Males Are the Predominate RSS Users
The Media 2.0 blog breaks down a bunch of really interesting statistics from the latest AdAge Interactive Fact Pack (PDF):
Feedburner: Podcasts Growing at 15% a Month
In a report on podcasting, RSS feed management company FeedBurner say that their service is now managing just under 45,000 podcast feeds.
Cashing in on Online Maps
Forbes magazine has taken a look at who's cashing in on online mapping services (mashups).
State of the Blogosphere
Dave Sifry has posted his quarterly State of the Blogosphere with these results including the observation that technology product launches...
|
|
04.24.06
Americans Turning To Web For Big Decisions
 By
Jason Lee Miller
As the Internet grows to become the default source of information for millions of Americans, 45% of Internet users, or 60 million Americans, say that the World Wide Web played a major role in major decision-making in the past two years, says Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Study authors John Horrigan and Lee Rainie called the increase in the Internet's role various life aspects over 2002 findings "striking."
Over a three-year period, Internet use grew by:
· 54% in the number of adults who said the Internet played a major role as they helped another person cope with a major illness. And the number of those who said the Internet played a major role as they coped themselves with a major illness increased 40%.
· 50% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they pursued more training for their careers.
· 45% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they made major investment or financial decisions.
· 43% in the number who said the Internet played a major role when they looked for a new place to live.
· 42% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they decided about a school or a college for themselves or their children.
· 23% in the number who said the Internet played a major role when they bought a car.
· 14% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they switched jobs.
Limited Time Offer
SIGN
UP NOW and get $20.00 free credit , risk-free! |
|
For the vast majority (53 million people), the Internet most likely played a crucial role in five categories - buying a car, making a major financial decision, helping someone deal with a major health matter, choosing a college, or getting additional career training.
As usage has increased, especially in decision-making and research, the quality of found information has often come in question. But according to the study, just 5% said they encountered bad information during research sessions.
And what about information overload? Only 15% said they sometimes felt overwhelmed by the amount of information they had access to, 71% felt it was manageable, and 11% can't find the totality of information they seek.
Horrigan and Rainie suggest that the steady increase in broadband usage is only one factor in the increase in decision-making behavior on the Web. Though home broadband use has jumped to 50% of American homes, the researchers think that better online content and more widely advertised websites have also driven people to Internet sources.
In addition, Horrigan and Rainie feel that there may also be a network effect as more people seek out other people to help with decisions and learn about websites through word of mouth.
About the Author:
Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
|
